Ryder the Dragon Conqueror
by Anibelli
Summary: Hiccup left before he could kill the Monstrous Nightmare. He hadn't been seen in five years. Funnily enough, the day he leaves, a mysterious man named Ryder appears on an island near the Meathead clan. Over the course of five years, everything changes. Hiccup returns as a new man with a mission: Free all dragons from humans. But Berk wasn't ready for the change.
1. Year One Part One

CHAPTER ONE

Astrid ran, dodging trees, jumping rocks. He had a dragon. A dragon. As a pet. She sneered. So this was how he was getting so good in all his classes. She wondered how she hadn't noticed it sooner. All the tricks, all the lies. She exited the forest, and dashed to the Great Hall. She burst through the doors.

"STOICK!" she cried. The current meeting skid to a halt. Everyone stared at the wild-eyed teen.

"What is it, lass?" the red-haired chief replied, already worried. Not much could rile up Astrid.

"Hiccup-in the woods-dragon!" she panted.

"Hiccup's in danger?" He asked, standing up.

She looked at him gravely.

"He will be when you're finished with him. He has a-."

* * *

Hiccup saddled Toothless, trying to ignore the giant basket of fish currently leaking fish-juice onto his leg. He pats his side.

"You ready to leave and hopefully never have to come back?" He asked his friend. Toothless warbled. He spread his wings and shot into the air. Hiccup sighed as the wind ruffled his hair. They flew once over the village before realizing that it was a bad idea.

"There's one! Kill the beast!" Someone yelled. Hiccup groaned.

"Oh for the love of- Toothless, get us out of here!" He yelled as the catapults were loaded.

"There's something on it!" An unknown voice yelled.

"What is it?" Someone asked.

"It looks like a person!" Another one shrieked. Hiccup cursed and shifted his foot. The clip snapped into place, and the dragon and boy shot through the sky like an arrow.

* * *

"What's going on here?" Stoick asked as he ran into the village, the council and a young Hofferson at his side. The crowd parted as a villager stepped forwards.

"A dragon, sir. It was too high up to see what kind, but it was fast. We tried to attack, but it was long gone before we could. And…"

"And?" Stoick pressed on.

"It looked to have some kind of deformity. Something on it's back." He finished.

"Hiccup." Astrid breathed out. Stoick shot her a look.

"Hiccup? What is she talking about, Stoick?" Someone asked.

"Nothing of your concern. I need ten of our best fighters. Come with me, and young Astrid here. I would also like to see the new trainees come with us. Lead the way, Astrid."

Astrid silently led them through the forest, on the path she had spent weeks marking out.

They walked with their heads down, making sure they didn't trip, when Astrid walked into a low hanging branch. She recoiled, covering her eye, when the party behind her gasped. She looked up, and her mouth dropped.

"Whoa…" A large ditch was forcefully pushed into the ground, leaving broken trees and upturned earth everywhere. Astrid hopped down into it, and slid down the slight hill. The group followed her as she found the remnants of a ripped bola.

"This is where the beast was shot down." Stoick muttered.  
"Uncle Stoick...do you remember when Hiccup was talking about shooting down a-..." Snotlout stopped talking at his uncle's face.

"It's not a Night Fury. How would Hiccup, the most useless Viking, be able to shoot down something that no one has ever killed?" Stoick said, destroying the rumors floating around in the group's head. Astrid said nothing, just continued on her way.

"This is it." Astrid said numbly as she showed them the Cove. Stoick sucked in a breath as he took everything in. The burn marks, the remnants of a fire, the littered pieces of fabric and metal. A shield and knife sat on a rock, and a clipping of long grass, an eel, and a pile of half eaten fish sat nearby.

"This is where it happened." Stoick said quietly, surveying the scene. He hopped down from the ledge, the group following his movements.

"He's… gone. Actually gone." Fishlegs said.

"I… I don't actually have a joke for this." Tuffnut said, staring around in awe and horror.

"So all this time, it was a dragon that was helping him for class?" Snotlout asked. Astrid didn't answer. She walked over to the place the dragon had burned the ground. There was a black scale lying on the ground. At a closer look, it wasn't all black, but was mixed with the darkest shade of blue, creating a moving, swirling effect when put in the sun. The blue turned neon under the setting suns shine.

"Beautiful." She whispered. The others didn't hear her.

"What do you think would've happened if Stoick had gotten to him before he left?" Fishlegs asked timidly.

"Arrested him and made him kill the dragon? That sounds like something Stoick would do." Ruffnut cackled.

"I know what I'd do in that position." Snotlout started, his voice talking an evil turn. "I would tackle Hiccup, and run a sword through the beast myself. I'd probably keep the head as a prize, to prove that I was the one to slay the mighty beast." He started.

"Hah! Knowing Hiccup, the dragon was only a Terrible Terror." Tuffnut laughed.

"You mean, the dragon that beat you senseless?" Fishlegs asked.

"Shut up Fishface. And you saw the size of the dragon. That had to be at least a Deadly Nadder."

"How'd Hiccup teach a Deadly Nadder not to eat him, then?"  
"I don't know! I'm not friends with Hiccup or anything."

"You're his cousin."

"It's not like we hung out!" Snotlout said obviously. "Anyways, back to my story of how I'd handle the situation. I'd kill the dragon violently, yet awesomely. Then I would arrest Hiccup for treason, and use him as a dummy for the trainees." Snotlout laughed.

"Oh yeah! I would…"

No one noticed Astrid leaving, taking the scale with her.

"I wonder what kind of Dragon it was?" Fishlegs spoke up. She froze for a second before continuing home. She knew. But she wouldn't tell.

That night, Stoick cried for the first time since Valka died.

* * *

Hiccup soared over the ocean. He sighed happily. He could get used to this. The wind in his ears, his best friend at his side. Plenty of food. All in all, not bad.

"We should have done this a long time ago, bud. It would have been easier, and we wouldn't have been shot at. I'll miss Gobber, and my father. And… her. And my bed. And my shop. And the amazing metal. Ahhh, the metal. But first, we need to find shelter. An uninhabited island would be good." Toothless rumbled in response. They flew for what seemed like hours before Hiccup found what he was looking for. He veered Toothless left, flew towards the nearest island, and landed on the side farthest away from Berk. It wasn't a big island, about 40 acres. It looked uninhabited. Hiccup got off and looked over the cliff to a neighboring island.

"Hey bud, I think the Meathead Island is over to our right, and it's pretty close. We could go visit an old friend."

Toothless just looked at him.

"They don't kill dragons. But they don't ride them either. The heir to the throne is Thuggory, and he used to visit Berk when we were younger. He may react weirdly to you, but he's a really good friend to have if you're a traveler."

The dark-scaled dragon snorted.

He dismounted his dragon, and pulled a sword, newly made, from his bag. He pulled out an axe, some piles of cloth, rope and a bedroll.

"Get a fire going. I'm gonna make a hut." And he did just that. He collected some bamboo from the forest, and made a decent sized wall, around 10 feet long. He made another 10-foot wall, and two 20-foot walls, and stepped back to admire his work.

"Not bad. Help me up, so I can put the roof on." He stood on the Night Fury's head, placed rows of bamboo at a certain angle, and the hut was complete.

"One more thing. There was a lake that I saw when we got here. There's at least three hours of sunlight left. We should probably go check it out. Maybe get some fish and fresh water." He started to walk, but the dark dragon rumbled.

"No bud. We need to start moving. No flying. I need to get some muscle to survive the winter. Or I could become fat. But I'm too... lanky. So, muscle it is." Toothless grumbled, and hit him with an earflap, but walked anyways.

The woods were crawling with wild dragons, ranging from Skullions to Gronckles to Timberjacks. None of them bothered Hiccup though. They took one look at Toothless and backed off.

"I'm gonna bring you to my next party. Keep all the ladies away." He laughed at his own joke. Toothless whacked him in the head.

"Ow, fine, fine. I'll stop making bad jokes. And you know what? Now that I think about it, it's a shame that Gobber lost his hand. Would of come in handy!" This time, the ebony dragon hit him so hard he was knocked to the ground.

"OUCH! Geez, I didn't know Night Fury's had such a disliking to puns. Toothless, I thought you thought I was punny? Am I punny? Because I sure think I'm too punny for you-OW!" He clutched his hips, bending forwards as if to protect the spot between his legs.

"Toothless!" he squeaked. "No! Bad dragon, bad, bad, bad!" He fell to his knees. "Toothless, you hit like a bear. I can't bear the pain!" He laughed through his gasps of pain. Toothless gave him a look that read, 'Have you gone through enough pain, or do you need more for the message to sink in?' Hiccup stood up, still wincing.

"Fine. I'll stop. Oh, how I should have been a bread-making Viking." Toothless narrowed his eyes.

"But hey, my father was probably right. I wasn't bready for it!" Toothless growled at his horrible sense of humor.

"C'mon Toothy, at yeast let me tell you a better one!" Toothless completely ignored him now. Hiccup caught up the fast dragon, and turned to face him.

"Or maybe small home repair would have turned out better. But I guess at the end of the day, I would have been hammered from the drinking!" Hiccup burst into laughter as the Dragon rolled his eyes. He sighed and started to walk backwards so he could look Toothless in the eye.

"Considering we are supposed to find water, and we haven't found it ye-AHHH" He fell into a lake, cutting off his sentence. Toothless snorted as if to say 'Great, stupid human, you've contaminated the water." Hiccup spat out water as he came up, and face-palmed with a sigh.

"Hiccup, water you doing with your life?"

As Hiccup carried the heavy jugs of water back to camp, Toothless carried the light stick of fish. Hiccup groaned under the weight.

"Well, if I do this everyday, I'll pack on some muscle. I need to find wood planks to line the hut with. Inside and out, for the winter. Good insulation. And we will need metal to make lanterns, tools, and an anvil. Or I could get a big rock. But it may break. Anvil it is. We're going to need food. So a bow would be good. I'll need sheep for the string and clothes. I'll probably need to train more dragons for their abilities. Especially a Gronckle for the metal. But that will be easy. Maybe we can feed the Gronckle sandstone and it will give us glass. I could make some kind of spyglass/telescope thing so I can see incoming invaders. Maybe I will make a big version of it too. Ah, here we are. Home sweet Bamboo." He wobbled over to the hut and set the jugs down. He flexed his bicep and looked over at Toothless.

"Huh? Am I getting muscle already or what?" He gave him a sarcastic, toothless smile and relit the fire.

"Wow, I should never trust a dragon to be encouraging. Is there a sheep around? I need to skin one so I can make a bed." Toothless snorted in response, and gestured vaguely towards the forest. Hiccup saw a mother sheep and two babies grazing near the left side of the island. He picked up his metal scissors and calmly walked over towards her. He picked some grass, knelt near the family, and the mother cautiously approached him. She ate out of his hand as he snipped off her wool. He stood, and pat her head.

"Baaaa." She responded. The sheep's young baaed in response, and they trotted off into the woods. Hiccup piled the wool into his arms, tried not to sneeze as it went up his nose, and carried it over to his supplies.

"Toothless, no." He told the reptile as he inched toward Hiccup's fish. He wrinkled his nose and sulked away in response. Hiccup sat down and started to sew a mattress to put on his slab of wood.

* * *

Thuggory was going about his evening when he heard shouts from across the village.

"What's going on?" he asked The Hairy Scary Librarian from the Meathead tribe. The Librarian was a huge man, with size eighteen shoes.

"The watchman has spotted someone on the neighboring island of Dragons Edge."

"Is he a threat?" Thug asked.

"Not sure. Your father is considering sending you over for one of your initiation tests. If you survive, you pass."

"Thanks, Hairy." He walked through the crowd.

"Father, I accept the challenge. But first, what else do you see?" Thug asked.

"Tell him watchman." Mogadon the Meathead ordered.

"He just sheared a sheep, and has a fire. I see weapons, but the man seems to be scrawny. Not very Viking like."

"Thank you. Father, what are your orders?" Thug knelt.

"Thuggory, you will visit the neighboring island of Dragon's Edge. You will go in peace, but if things get Hairier than The Hairy Scary Librarian, you may attack. Get as much information as possible. See if he is a threat. He seems to be alone, but he may not be. Be careful son." Thug stood up, and went down to the docks.

The white peace flag was already raised. He sailed for what felt like forever. He had his favorite axe with him, and a basket of bread as an offering. No one attacked. He walked up the steep slopes, his axe strapped to his back. He reached the top, and saw the front of a small bamboo house. He walked around the house.

"Hello?" He called out. He heard growling that didn't sound human. He reached the back of the house. A scrawny male sat on the ground, sewing cloth together. He cleared his throat. The man jumped up, spinning around. Thug dropped the bread.  
"Holy Thor! Thug? Is that you?" Hiccup Haddock said, eyes wide.

"Hiccup? What are you doing here?" Thug asked, hugging Hiccup tightly. Hiccup gasped.

"Breath. I need to breathe." He choked out. Thuggory put him down, dusting him off.

"Sorry. But what are you doing out here? You're days away from Berk." Thug told him.

"That's kinda the point." hiccup muttered to his very much taller, beefier friend. "I left. I'm done with Berk." He said. Something snarled behind Thug, and Hiccup's attention left him. He calmly waved behind Thug, who was searching for the culprit. "Toothless, calm down. This is Thug." He said, gesturing to the taller boy. Thug turned and yelped, fumbling for his axe. A large, dark dragon was creeping its way down the newly made home. His dark green eyes had slits for pupils as he studied Thuggory.

"Hiccup. What, is that?" Thug asked slowly, moving into a defensive position.

"Toothless. He's the reason I left Berk. A… A girl, she found where I was hiding him. She ran to tell everyone, but by then I was gone. Berk… well, you know they never treated me like home. So I left, and I'm much happier now." He said calmly, whilst petting the dragon's head.

"Why do you have a dragon?" Thug asked, eyes wide as Toothless saw the bread and licked his lips and wandered closer. Hiccup calmly took the bread from the hungry dragon, who sulked and slunk off.

"I… I shot him down, but when I found him, I couldn't kill him. I… I set him free, and he fled. I found him in a small, secretive cove near the back of the island. It was the perfect hiding spot. I came back every day after my dragon training classes to learn more. Then I thought about getting him to fly again. I made him a tail, then a saddle. We're the perfect team." He peered around Thug to look at the dragon sniffing his bottom. "Aren't we bud?" Thuggory yelped and jumped away.

"Toothless, give me a minute or two with Thug, okay? Go get a rabbit or two." The dragon huffed and stalked into the woods. Hiccup turned to Thug.

"Why are you here, Thug? I haven't seen you since Freya's Festival seven years ago."

"My dad's watchmen saw someone on Dragon's Edge, this island. He wanted me to check it out for part of my Initiation. If I came back alive, I would have passed."

Hiccup snorted. "Wow. Vikings suck. No offense."

"Um, I brought bread." He gestured to the basket Hiccup grinned.

"Perfect! Now I won't have to start a farm!" They laughed, knowing that Hiccup was the worst farmer.

"So, Astrid sold you in? That must suck." Thug leaned against the wall of his house. Hiccup blushed.

"How'd you know Astrid sold me in?" Hiccup asked.

"Two reasons. One, you're blushing. And two, you just told me."

"Loki's balls. I hate you." He grumbled as Thuggory laughed.

"Look, I'm not affiliated with her anymore. She ruined my safe, no one will know, run away plan."

"Okay okay. Snotlout still a jerk?"

"Yeah, but at least he isn't calling me Hiccup the Useless anymore. At least, not to my face. And the twins seem to hate me too. Fishlegs and I have drifted apart. He sided with them."

"Ah. Well, I have to get back before my Father kills me. What should I tell him I found?" He asked the auburn haired boy. He smiled.

"Just a traveler, someone who is going to settle down on this island. My name can be… Ryder."  
"Very inconspicuous." Thug grinned. "Ryder the what? You need a title, and I can't say dragon trainer. My dad will freak."

"Ryder the…" Hiccup looked stumped.

"How about… Ryder the Dragon Conqueror."

"Why Dragon Conqueror?"

"It's not dragon rider, and you don't want to reveal that you train dragons, and Dragon Conqueror is confusing. It doesn't specify what you do with the dragons. Just that you conquer them. Maybe you kill them, maybe you destroy them, and maybe you train them. Not specific enough for anyone to figure it out."

"Good enough for me!" They shook hands, Toothless, (who had returned) licked Thugs face.

"Eugh, does this come out?" He asked Hiccup, who was laughing.

"No idea. See you Thuggory."

"Bye Ryder. Gotta get used to it." He explained at Hiccups confused face. He trudged down the cliff side.

"Well, now I have a secret identity. Let's get ready for the night. I have a feeling it's gonna be tough."


	2. Year One Part Two

**(Okay look, before you all get really upset. Yes I have used someone else's name, but I have asked him permission for use of the name, and he has agreed. If you doubt my word, ask him yourself. Thank you for all the reviews and favorites! Review!)**

The night sucked. It was cold, wet (it rained), and loud. The wind whistled through the bamboo like a Viking chorus.

"URGH! I can't take this anymore! Toothless, light up the fire. We're gonna get some work done." The bleary eyed boy stood up, stretched and walked outside into the rain.

"I'm gonna need some mud." He looked over at Toothless. "And your spit." The wet dragon made a face. Hiccup walked over to the side of his house, rain pouring down his face. He knelt in the disgusting grass, and started to dig. He reached the dirt, waited for the rain to wet it, and dug it out.

"Well, maybe the next time we abandon our home, we will leave earlier in the day so we don't have to deal with makeshift houses." He stood up, and held the mud out to the dragon. Toothless went cross-eyed and regurgitated on the mud.

"Ew, that's gross. Fetch me a jar, bud." Toothless flicked water on him, and waddled inside. He grabbed a jar and a stick and brought it back to Hiccup, whose mud was seeping through his hands.

"Took your time, didn't you?" He muttered, quickly shoving the mud in the jar. He took the stick and started to mix it until it became too thick.

"Great. Now we need to fill in all of the holes so it doesn't sound like Gobber when he's drunk." He scooped out the gunky paste and started filling the holes, using Toothless as a stool for the taller ones. It took about thirty minutes, but he finally finished. The light from inside had gone out, indicating the fire died.

"Thor's Hammer, I'm exhausted. Let's try to sleep now." He walked inside and collapsed on his bed.

Hiccup woke up to beautiful sunlight streaming through the bamboo, the sound of birds chirping and-

"GAHHHHHH!" Hiccup sat bolt right up in his bed.

"Who's there?" He called out. Another yell was their response, along with a roar. He jumped out of bed and ran to the door. He yelped.

Thug and Toothless were fighting a wild Monstrous Nightmare. It was a silvery gray color, and he looked insane.

"What's going on?" Hiccup yelled.

"Oh, Hiccup. Glad you could make it. Help us get rid of this…this Killer!" he yelled. "Ha! That's a good name for him. Help me capture him! I want to train him!"

"Are you insane? That thing will eat you! Its not tame!" He yelled to his beefy friend.

"Of course its not! Help me subdue it!" Hiccup stared for another second, then ran to Toothless.

"Thug, it's too early for this!" he warned.

"It's never too early for violence!" He yelled, jumping at the dragon. He grabbed on his neck, and held on as he flung him around. Hiccup jumped on Toothless, and flew into the air.

"Thug, if you go home with a dragon, your dad will flip out!"

"I'll leave him here then!" He held on the dragon with his entire body.

"Oh for the love of-Toothless, lets get him off of there." The dragon dove, extending his claws to reach the Viking. He grabbed his shirt and yanked him off the beast. He landed, dropping the boys off in the process.

"Toothless, quiet him down." He said. The dragon roared, effectively shutting him up in the process. "Thuggory, if you want to train the dragon, you don't want to go by brute force. You want to make a bond with him. Try approaching him slowly, so he doesn't freak. Put your hand out like this, and look him in the eyes. You don't want to look suspicious." He explained.

"What happens if I look suspicious?" Thug asked, eyeing the silver beast.

"Well, many things. The most probable is that he will eat you."

"I won't look suspicious."  
"Good idea." Hiccup watched as he approached the reptile, slowly, and lay his axe down, far away.

"Hello, fella. How you feeling? I know we had a rough start, but can we start over? I want to be you friend." He kept eye contact with him, trying to keep his footing. The Dragon watched him, crawling closer. He held his hand out for the dragon, trying to take deep breaths. The Nightmare watched the hand, and nuzzled it. Thug laughed, and pet his head. He ran his hand down his neck. He took his hand off quickly and made a face.

"Ew, what is this?" Hiccup walked over, held his hand out to the dragon, who licked him. He wiped his hands on his tunic, and pet his neck. His hands were covered in some clear liquid. It was very slimy, and Hiccup recognized it as the Nightmares spit.

"Saliva. I guess this is what makes him flammable." He talked over Thug yelling about how disgusting that is.

"Well, I'll need to make a saddle. But I will need leather. I might risk a trip over, but it will have to be tonight. Can you drug the watchman?"

12 hours later, Hiccup flew on Toothless over to Meathead Island. Thuggory was behind him on the back of Killer.

"It hurts my butt." He complained over the wind.

"Stop complaining or we'll get caught. Okay, bud. Here is good." Toothless silently descended, landing at the armory. Hiccup dismounted and crept inside of the shop. He looked around, while Thug stood guard outside.

"Where is it?" He hissed to Thuggory.

"Behind the shelf." He answered softly.

"Gotcha." He said. He grabbed the lot and dashed out of there.

"Thug, do you want me to take Killer?" He whispered. He nodded.

"Killer, go." The dragon took off.

"See you tomorrow." Thug said, as he disappeared into the village.

"Bye." Hiccup called after him.

Hiccup returned safely to Dragon's Edge. He fell asleep shortly after putting the leather away. He woke up to a blonde girl staring down at him.

"LOKI'S HORNED HELMET!" He screamed, pulling the blanket up to his chin.  
"Okay," the girl called out to someone behind her. "he's alive."

"Of course he is! I never said he was dead, we just robbed the armory last night." The girl hadn't moved, and Hiccup was feeling very self conscious.

"Cami, move. He looks like he's gonna puke." The man said. The girl backed off, ignoring the growling Toothless. Hiccup sat up, pulling the blanket with him. He looked at the two intruders. Thuggory, obviously, and a familiar friend. Camicazi, heir to the Bog-Burglars, daughter of Big-Boobied Bertha. The vertically challenged Astrid, to be exact.

"Camicazi! How'd you get in?" he asked. She smiled.

"I think the question you should be asking is 'What are you doing here?' because you don't want to know how I got in."

"Good point…" he said. He got out of bed, and Cami hugged him.

"What's this for?" he asked. She pulled away, a small blush on her cheeks.

"I thought you were dead. Your Father has sent out letters to every inhabited island in the Archipelago. He is telling us that Snotlout is the new heir to the Throne. And now everyone is assuming…"

"That I'm dead. Wonderful. Dead, or banished, or kidnapped. Not the best way to go, if I'm honest." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah. But now that I know you're alive…" she pulled out a sword. Hiccups eyes widened.

"NO!" Thug shouted. "Cami, you can't kill Hiccup!"

"He made me sick with worry. You're DEAD!" She lunged at Hiccup, but Thuggory grabbed her waist. Hiccup backed up so fast, he fell over his sword. He picked it up.

"Cami, please, hear me out! I want to-OUCH!" he felt the sword pierce his right forearm. He switched hands, and suddenly was able to block every shot.

"Why-won't-you-just-die?" she said with every shot. Hiccup felt great, besides the bleeding right arm.

"Hiccup, you're incredible!" Thug shouted.

"Hyah!" he smacked the sword out of her hands and held it to her throat. She was really surprised and had another blush on her cheeks.

"Hiccup, I'm sorry. I was just so upset when I realized that you were… when you were…" she didn't need to finish the sentence.

"Yeah, well here I am."

"Great. Now what?"

"I don't know, you let yourself in."

"Let's go gather some supplies."

"Good idea. Thug, you and Killer go and get some firewood. Just make sure its not on fire when you bring it back. Cami and I will go hunting. Who knows, maybe we will find her a dragon." They split up for the day.

She didn't find her dragon.

"But I want one!" She whined.

"Well, you could have picked any one in the woods. But no. Yow want one of the rarest dragons there is. The Mood Dragon. I doubt there are even any on this island."  
"But I want one!" she repeated.

"Go home before the sun sets and your mother calls you in dead too." He sighed.

"We'll find the dragon tomorrow, when we are actually looking for one." She huffed and walked down the steep cliff to her boat.

"She's insane."

"Oh, I know." Hiccup yawned. He set down the rabbits-on-a-stick.

"See you tomorrow Thug."

"Bye Hiccup." He mounted Killer and flew off to the neighboring island.

"Well, I'm off to bed. Night Toothless." The dragon roared in response.


	3. Year Two Part One

"Your move." Thuggory heard Hiccup say from inside his cabin. He heard a snort and a scraping of wood on wood.

"Dang it, I was gonna move there. Um…" Another scraping. Thuggory reached the doorway to see Hiccup and Toothless playing Bits and Blots.

"Toothless, focus. It's your move!" Toothless nudged his black Viking across the board and chirped a victorious sound.

"How'd you lose to a dragon?" Thug asked. Hiccup yelled and fell off his chair.

"THUG! Don't scare me like that!" he took three deep breaths.

"Hiccup, I come in every day. How are you scared?" he asked. The boy stood. He had barely changed over the past year, except for his left foot missing. He was more muscular, he had grown about half a foot **('Geddit, foot? 'Geddit?),** and his hair was growing darker. He had upgraded his house, he now had a second floor, and the house was moved to a better spot with a view. The old house was now used for storing all his survival supplies. Mostly wood from the local Timberjack and metal from his Gronckles. He still wore similar clothes, but when he went out, he dawned brown leather gear. He planned on changing it every year, just in case he met someone who recognized him.

"Thug, I was in the middle of a very intense game. People can be scared when they are very focused on stuff." He explained.

"Yeah, okay. And you're totally not a scared-ey yak."

"Shut up." He blushed.

"You know, Hiccup, I wouldn't think you would be scared at your friend coming through your door, especially after you defeated the Red Death."

"THUG!" Hiccup yelled.

"Yes?" he asked, grinning.

"Why are you here?"

"It's that time of the year again…" he sang. Hiccup immediately groaned.

"No no no no no no no no. Nuh-uh. Absolutely not. No way in Jotumhiemr. No way in Helheim. Not even in Valhalla. _No_."

"Come on! Freya's on the loose, and love is in the air!" He started to sing. Hiccup lunged and covered his mouth. He continued to sing in a muffled voice, Hiccup cringing at the notes he couldn't hit.

"Shut up shut up shut up." He chanted until the song ended. He sighed and took his hands off his mouth, only to find Thuggory want quite done with his song.

"STOP IT!" He yelled in agony. This was too much. "IF I SAY YES WILL YOU STOP?"  
"AAAABBBBSSSOOLLLUUUUUUTLY!" He sang with so much force, Toothless left the house.

"FINE! YES, YES, YES! NOW SHUT UP!" Thug immediately stopped.

"Who are you gonna go with?" He asked. Hiccup sighed, and then smirked.

"Probably Toothless. I think I can make a dress that will fit him, don't you? Hey bud? How does pink sound?" Toothless was poking his head in, so when he heard that, he made a face and covered his eyes with his paws. The boys laughed.

"To be honest though, I'll probably be a loner. And I will wear my mask. I don't need: 'HICCUP, YOU'RE ALIVE? KILL HIM!' all night. And besides, I'm not really interested in anyone."

"Well I know who's interested in you…" Thuggory said with a sly grin. Hiccup sighed.

"Camicazi." They said together.

"Yeah yeah. I know. I just don't know why. I'm like the weirdest one in our group. But I know who you're interested in." Thuggory blushed and cleared his throat.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He lied.

"Heather, the newly-found heir to the Berserkers? The girl with the long, dark, luscious hair and gorgeous green eyes? The girl who 'will never look at old, ugly me?' Yeah, ring a bell?" Hiccup asked, grabbing his brown leather helmet. It was a work in progress, but so far it would have to do.

"Shut up."

"I knew it! I knew it! How did I know it? How?" He yelled to the heavens, his voice cracking on more than a few words. Thuggory started laughing.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Shut up."

"You've already said that."

"Shut up."

Hiccup roared with laughter.

"Thuggory and Heather! Thuggory and Heather! Thuggory and He-" He slapped a hand over Hiccup's mouth.

"Stop talking." He said, his expression serious.

"Aww, he's getting jealous." He mumbled.

"No, really, stop. I hear something." He looked out the open doorway, and Hiccup pulled his hand off his mouth. A rustling sound could be heard outside the house. Toothless and Killer roared, and a screech was heard outside. Hiccup grabbed his mask and ran outside, Thug at his heels. A tail smashed into Hiccup, who was pushed into Thuggory. He straightened Hiccup and pushed past him. Hiccup caught his breath and followed him. Then he bumped into the back of Thuggory because he wasn't looking where he was going.

"Ow." He massaged his head.

"H-Ryder? We have company." He squeaked. Hiccup peeked past Thuggory's enormous figure and his mouth fell open. Not that she could see it under his mask.

"Behind you!" The girl yelled, raising her axe. Thuggory and Hiccup both stopped her, the dragons roaring.

"It's okay! They're tame! They're not the enemy!" Thug told her. She calmed down after a second. She took a deep breath, and kept her eyes on the growling dragons.

"Thuggory, um, nice to see you. And, uh, who's this?" Heather the Berserker asked. Thuggory turned white as a sheet. Hiccup thanked the gods that he had on his armor. He cleared his throat and spoke with a deep voice he used when he was Ryder.

"My name is Ryder the Dragon Conqueror. Who may I ask, are you, and what are you doing on my island?" he said.

"I am Heather, daughter of Osvald the Agreeable, from the Berserker Tribe." She said formally. "I am here on the account of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, who went missing about a year ago. He escaped on the back of an unknown dragon, and his Father still believes he might be alive. I'm wondering if you have seen him. I see you have dragons, and am wondering if you have any affiliation with him?" She asked, gesturing to Toothless and Killer. Hiccup tried not to look suspicious.

"I have never heard of that man. I'm sorry to hear that he is missing." Hiccup said, his eyes wide. Thuggory shook his head, blushing slightly.

"That is too bad. Anyways, on a happier note, I am also handing out invitations to Freya's festival, held on Festival Island. It is the 400th annual love festival. I assume that you know what it is?" She handed them two slips of paper. Hiccup shook his head.

"It is a love festival in honor of the Goddess of Love, Freya. We expect you to come with a date, if that is possible. If not, it is fine, but dress nice. Weapons are not permitted, and men usually attempt to court the most beautiful maiden of their age. She picks the one most worthy. They share a dance, and afterwards, there is a special feast and play put on. It is quite fun." She smiled. Thuggory cleared his throat.

"Oh, is that coming up? I had forgotten about that." Hiccup smirked at Thug's words. Thuggory blushed.

"Yeah, it is. It would be an honor to have both of you. I hope to see you there, Thuggory." She smiled at him. "Oh, and you too, Ryder." She walked away, down the newly carved steps in the mountain, back to her boat.

"She's totally into you." Hiccup grinned to Thuggory as she disappeared into her boat.

"Shut up, man." He blushed.

Hiccup checked his armor in the mirror. He looked fine. Thuggory was waiting outside. They planned for Thuggory to go with his father, but to meet Hiccup there. Hiccup slipped his dagger into a hidden pocket that a normal Viking would overlook. He needed protection, just in case someone learned who he was.

"Hiccup, my dad's signaling for me to come back. I have to go." Thug yelled to him. He headed outside.

"Okay, Thug. I'll see you in a few hours." He joked. They bid each other goodbye and he left.

"Okay, Toothless. We need to him you in the woods. If I need help, I'll call. Then, and only then, you will come out. Understand?" He asked. Toothless rolled his eyes but nodded nonetheless.

"Great. Let's get going." He saddled up and launched off.

When Thuggory finally arrived, the party was in full swing. Hiccup was in a dark corner, sipping a drink, his mask up slightly so he had access to his mouth. Thuggory wandered over.

"Hey, Ryder." He said.

"Hey Thug. Anyone follow you?" He asked, pulling his mask down. He shook his head.

"Good. Seen your girlfriend yet?" He asked. Thug shoved him, causing him to spill his drink a little.

"Hey, this is good stuff. Don't waste it." He warned.

"Sorry, I'm too strong for my own good." He bragged. Heather wandered over.

"Hey Thuggory." She smiled. She turned towards Hiccup.

"Hello, Ryder. It is good to see you again. Who is it that you will be courting tonight?" she asked politely. He gave a rough laugh.

"And, well, I came alone, but to keep it interesting, I'll say Thuggory." Thug blushed, while she laughed.

"Good to know you have a sense of humor. May I ask your age so you can compete in the young maidens tournament?" She asked, holding up a piece of paper. "The maidens are lined up over there, and soon I will be joining them. You will be put with your age group, and will compete for the attention of the female of your liking. If you attract her, you are able to spend the rest of the festival with her. If you lose, you can try for another maiden, but it is hard." She warned. He thought about it.

"Is there a way I can say no thank you? I apologize, but I would like to keep my age secret, even though I know the ladies would pick me. Maybe it's best if I don't join, so the other men have a chance." He joked. She laughed again.

"Thug, who are you going to go for?" Heather asked him. He gulped.

"I don't know. And 16, Heather, for my age." He said. She grinned.

"Thug, you wound me. I remember your age. You don't need to remind me." She wrote it down anyways, and left, with a wave goodbye.

"Dude." Thuggory groaned.

"Yes?" Hiccup asked amusedly.

"How are you so smooth with her? You were making jokes left and right! She was completely under your spell!" He cried out. Hiccup laughed under his mask.

"I don't know. Maybe the fact that she can't see my face makes me more confident, I guess. I can pretend to be someone I'm not." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe I should make myself a costume, too." Thuggory laughed. Hiccup tried to look as offended as possible without showing his face.

"Excuse me, it is not a 'costume'!" he said indignantly. "It is a very well made disguise!" He said, causing Thuggory to laugh more.

"Okay okay. But really. If we ever do anything like the Red Death again, I want a disguise, so my father doesn't disown me." He said, his expression more serious than before. Hiccup nodded. He looked around, and went rigid.

"Thug. Thug!" he whispered loudly. Thuggory looked at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Look. It's him." He said, pointing. A young man with bright red hair and a violent attitude came strolling towards Heather. He said something that he obviously thought funny, because he started laughing hysterically. She glared at him and stalked off.

"I learned his name. It's Daugur. He's Heather's brother. I hope he doesn't see me with Heather. I don't want the 'Man to Man Headlock Talk' about why I should stay away from his sister." He said, wincing.

"What are you on about?" Hiccup asked, turning towards Thug.

"That's what he gives the guys who ask Heather to court them. She always turns them down, and Daugur wanders over and beats the shi-" Hiccup slammed a hand over Thug's mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"Go. Now." He said, shoving him quickly. Thug knew the routine.

"Just give me the signal." He demanded, walking away quickly. Hiccup moved himself into darker shadows, keeping a distance from anyone near him.

This has happened many times over the past year when Hiccup sees someone from his past. Thuggory moves away, drawing attention away from Hiccup, and Hiccup conceals himself in the shadows.

This time, it was his cousin. Snotlout hadn't changed at all in the last year. He sauntered over to Thuggory, and immediately got right into his face.

"Hey, Thuggory. Seen my cousin over the past year?" He asked.

"Sadly, I haven't. Have _you_ , Snotlout? Keeping information from your uncle at all?" He asked accusingly. Hiccup smiled, already happy Thuggory was on his side.

"No. If I did, I would've beat him to a pulp for dishonoring our family!" He yelled, drawing some glances from the surrounding people.

"Good. Tell Stoick I said hi." Thuggory sneered.

"How about you tell him yourself?" Snotlout asked, pointing. Hiccup almost got whiplash from looking around so quickly. Stoick stood with a young blond woman, who Hiccup immediately recognized.

"Astrid." He whispered. Thug sent a quick glance to Hiccup, and meandered over to Stoick and Astrid.

"Uncle Stoick!" He called out loudly over the group of cheering vikings in the corner.

"Thuggory! It's good to see you, lad! What've you been up to lately?" He asked, voice booming.

"Not much. Almost done with my initiation trials. I've got, what, thirty left?" He joked, causing Stoick to laugh heartily.

"Good one, boy! Have you heard about Snotlout's hier meeting?" He asked. Thuggory blanched.

"What?" he asked, choking. Astrid narrowed her eyes.

"Since Hiccup has gone missing, and is presumed dead, Snotlout is the next in line to be Stoick's hier. He's having a counsel meeting to make sure he's fit to lead the Tribe." She said suspiciously.

"Hiccup's not dead." Thuggory blurted out. Hiccup almost ran out of his hiding spot right then. Stoick dropped his mug and grabbed Thuggory's shoulders.

"What do you mean?" He asked quickly.

"I've heard rumors of a boy riding a dragon, saving viking villages from dragon attacks." He lied. Okay, it wasn't really a lie. Hiccup does save villages from dragon attacks, with Thuggory's help when it's night. But he was really saving the dragon's from the vikings. He drives them off the vikings territory. They haven't invaded the villages since.

"What?" Astrid asked, moving towards Thuggory as Stoick let go and put his helmet over his chest.

"Hiccup's alive?" She whispered.

"I would guess it's him. They're saving so many lives. They've even killed dragon's before, so the stories go." He said, attracting a rather large crowd.

Snotlout broke through. "Hiccup can't be alive. Whatever he was riding was fast, nimble and definitely hungry. He was probably eaten as soon as they landed." He laughed.

"Sure, he was eaten. Just like your chances of becoming hier." Astrid growled. Snotlout put a hand over his heart.

"Please, I'm still being chief. Hiccup wasn't even fit to lead. So even if he was alive, and even if he was going to come back, I'd still be better than him." He bragged.

"At least Hiccup had the brains to lead. He would get us out of every situation, even if he couldn't fight." A large blonde boy said, standing up.

"Shut up, Fishlegs. I could get us out of any situation." He said, flexing a muscle.

"Yeah, because we'd be dead, and that would be your way of getting us out of a situation." He retaliated. Hiccup considered whistling in approval. If only he could fit his hands under his helmet…

"Shut up, Fishface. Even so, Hiccup's dead, and won't be alive to challenge me." He said, spreading his hands.

"Hey, Heather?" Thuggory called. HIccup got a sick feeling in his stomach.

"Thug, what are you doing?" He muttered, standing up.

"Who's to say that Hiccup isn't in this room? You said you went to every island in the Archipelago, right? Then you must have met someone who was very secretive." He said. She glanced over at Hiccup, who shrunk back into the shadows.

"Well, yes. But they didn't come. They shooed me off the island quickly. I didn't get to see their faces." She said. The crowd started to mutter.

"Hiccup may still be alive. Did any of them have a close kind of relation to dragons of any type?" Stoick asked urgently. She hesitated, Thuggory's face remaining calm, but Hiccup could see the fear in his eyes.

"Not in the Archipelago." She confirmed.

"In the Archipelago? You think he could be outside it?" Astrid asked. Heather shrugged.

"What's that sound?" Thuggory asked. A rumbling sound came from outside the building. Hiccup stepped back. He knew what was coming. The whole building started to shake, and cheers and yells came bursting through the open doors, along with a viking parade. The mob was greeted forcefully, considering that's the only way the Bog-Burglars knew how. Camicazi tackled a large viking man, and kicked another one down. Once the mob had calmed down and they all had goblets of mead, Cami snuck over to Hiccup.

"Hay, Ryder! How's the party?" She asked, smiling brightly. He shrugged.

"They just had a debate voting whether Hiccup was alive or not. Thuggory, the _interesting_ boy he is, said that he... _was_ , didn't you?" Ryder's helmet turned slowly towards Thuggory, who tugged on his collar nervously.

"Um, yeah, I did. But, hey. You never know." He laughed awkwardly.

"Well done, Thuggory." Cami clapped sarcastically. The sharp sounds attracted the attention of a dark haired girl, who Hiccup saw immediately walk towards them.

"Nice going, Cami." Hiccup muttered. Heather walked over, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"So. Is there anyway that you are not Hiccup?" She asked quietly. He pretended to think about it.

"Nope!" he said cheerily. She cleared her throat.

"Well, um. I have to report this you know…" She started. Thug grabbed her arm.

"We need to talk in a more private place." He said, dragging her outside. Camicazi and Hiccup followed. Hiccup leaned against the door frame, and once he was positive no one was following or watchings, slipped outside after them.

"Thug, why does this even need to be discussed?" She asked as soon as they reached the forest.

"Because, three reasons. First of all, they will kill Hiccup." He said. Hiccup nodded, pushing his helmet up to the top of his head. She stared.

"Wow, you don't look like I thought you would." She said.

"Yeah, I know. And Thug's right. If they knew I was there, it would be necessary that they kill me. My father disowned me after I left. Kill on sight now not only applies to dragons, but to me as well." He said.

"Secondly, our dragon's would be killed." Thug said. Heather stared at him.

"They should be killed. They kill us!" She said.

"No, they kill because they need to. Hiccup and Thuggory killed the Alpha, or 'Red Death' as they called it, last year. As we killed the Alpha, Hiccup lost a foot. It was bloody, violent, and everything a Bog-Burglar likes. Toothless, Hiccup's dragon, saved Hiccup's life. After Hiccup was healed, we went searching for a dragon for me. Since we killed the Red Death, a lot of dragons were released from 'prison'. Then, one day, Thuggory spotted the dragon I was looking for. A mood dragon. So happy we found her, Blizz is the best!" Cami said. "But our dragons have saved our lives so many times. And they're our best friends. They aren't even pets anymore. They have become a part of our lives." She turned to Hiccup.

"How's Blizzard, anyways?" She asked, grinning. Hiccup smiled.

"Good, but she misses you." He told her.

"So, what was this Alpha like?" Heather asked.

"Bluish, with a tail like a bludgeon, a spiney neck frill, six eyes, large mouth that could suck in dragons, large wings, four feet, violent, evil, bloodthirsty, and about the size of Berk." Hiccup summed up. She started choking.

"Heather, are you okay?" Thuggory asked worriedly, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded, face red.

"How'd you kill it?" She asked, amazed. Hiccup reencountered their experience with the Red Death.

"How are you alive?" She asked. Hiccup pointed to Thuggory.

"His healing skills. I never knew he was so good." He said, impressed.

"Wow. That's incredible." She said, looking up at a red-faced Thuggory.

"Yeah, uh, it's nothing." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I owe him my life." Hiccup praised.

"So, uh, what's the third thing?" Heather asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah! The third reason is that we actually had made a difference in the last year. The Archipelago is slowly becoming kill-free. Yes, there are dragon hunters, but we counter their actions. Hiccup has taught us how to train dragons. We are able to warn them to stay away from the villages. The only island Hiccup refuses to help is Berk." Thuggory said, looking at him pointedly.

"Yeah, because someone would recognize something about me. Whether it be my hand size, or snarky attitude, someone would recognize something." He said forcefully.

"He gets like this whenever we talk about it." Cami told her.

"I do not!" He said.

"You're literally proving my point right now." She said. He crossed his arms and lowered his mask, leaning against a tree.

"Fine. I won't rat you guys out. On one condition." She demanded.

"Name it." Hiccup said.

"I want to join your little possy." She said.

"Fine. We'll start looking for a dragon for you." Hiccup said.

"What? No! It's too dangerous!" Thuggory said.

"Excuse me? I can take care of myself. I'm a berserker!" She said. Thuggory hesitated.

"Daugur could find out. From what i've heard, he's a dragon killing maniac." He said quickly. She frowned.

"You have a point. Well, I can make a disguise of some sort. Like, a hood and face mask that covers my mouth and nose? So I can see." She suggested. Hiccup nodded.

"Then it's settled. You know where my island is. We'll meet up there tomorrow. Cami, Thug, start thinking about outfits for when we ride. We need to keep our identities a secret. If any of our faces are seen, death will follow." Hiccup warned. They nodded.

"Heather, how about you head in first. Cami, go with her. If anyone asks, you two were comparing fighting styles and needed a more open space. Thug, wait a minute, then follow. I'll go in the back." He told them.

"Wait, they're a back door?" Heather asked, confused.

"Yeah." He said.

"How'd you know?" She asked.

"Whenever I go somewhere new, I make sure I know every way I can escape, just in case I'm caught." He told her. She nodded and they headed off.

"Did you really figure out all the exits?" Thug asked once they were gone.

"No, every year that we came here I snuck out the back to escape the contests." He said. Thuggory laughed and headed inside.

Hiccup waited a minute or two, and walked around the large building. He passed two drunk vikings, calling challenges out to him. He ignored them and continued on his path.

A hand grabbed his shoulder, throwing him back. He fell on the ground, and when he looked up, the two drunks stood above him.

"When I talk to you, kid, you answer." One of them said, jeering. He glared at them, but they couldn't see because of the mask.

"Sorry, I don't talk to drunks who are below me on the intelligence scale." He snarked. The first looked to the second.

"Wait, there's an intelligence scale?" He asked dumbly.

"No, he's being a little brat." He glared down at Hiccup.

"I'm actually your age." He lied. They both straightened.

"Why you so scrawny?" The dumb one asked. Hiccup mentally screamed. His voice was so annoying.

"Because I stay in shape. Even though you do too, but the shape you picked was round, not stick." He sneered, trying to stand. They pushed him back down.

"What do you guys want? I just want to go back to my friends, okay? I don't want any trouble." He said. They both stared at him. He sighed and criss crossed his legs.

"How long are you going to keep me here? I have to go, my princess awaits." He said in a strong voice, gesturing to the building.

"Oh, well your 'princess' will have to wait. Until you even attempt to fight us, you're not going anywhere." Mr. 'I'm better than you' said.

"Oh, for Thor's sake. Fine. I'll fight you." He said, standing up. Mr. 'I'm a complete idiot' cracked his knuckles.

"Let's go, kid. Fight me-." He was cut off with Hiccup's hand pushing his face back. He was so startled that he fell over. Hiccup stood there, staring at him.

"Okay, that was anticlimactic." He said, leaning back slightly to dodge a punch thrown by the idiots friend. He mentally named him Stan.

"C'mon. That's it? I'm not even trying." Hiccup complained. He caught Stan's foot as it was sent his way.

"Please, is that it?" He scoffed. He pulled Stans leg and caused him to fall on his butt. He dropped the leg and walked away. Then he turned around and caught Mr. Idiot's (he decided to call him Tim) hand and pushed it back to him. He stumbled backwards and fell.

"We're done here." He walked away, shaking out his wrist.

"Ow, that was my fault, wasn't it. Stupid, Ryder. Stupid." He bent it back and flexed it.

"I'm coming for you kid!" One of the men yelled out, maybe Stan.

"Whatever, Stan. No one cares." He called back to him.

He walked in the back door, and stuck to the shadows. He went back to the corner where he started out, but froze. Someone was standing there, and It wasn't anyone from the team.

"Ma'am, I believe this is my corner." He said. The woman turned to him, and his eyes widened.

"Excuse me?" The blonde beauty scoffed.

"Don't you need to be lined up somewhere over there?" He gestured rudely.

"That's rude. Don't you have any manners, especially today?" Astrid asked, offended.

"Well, when your entire village is destroyed by dragons, and you're the only survivor, see if using manners is still important." He snarked. She was silent for a second.

"This year, I was put in charge of recording everyone who comes here and where they live. I waited here for you. You are the only person I haven't recorded. If you just answer my few questions, I'll get out of your hair." She breathed. He nodded, and she grabbed her quill. After three attempts of writing with it, the tip snapped off. She groaned in frustration.

"Here." He handed her a piece of wood with a chunk of charcoal in it. She studied it, and tried writing. It slid across the paper smoothly.

"Thank you. This is incredible. Did you get it from Johan?" She asked. He shook his head.

"No, I made it." He said.

"Wow, you're quite the engineer. Is that your profession?" She asked. He shrugged.

"I'm a mix of everything." He said.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking up.

"I live by myself on an abandoned island. I'm not sure the name of it, it doesn't come up on any map. It is small, but I make do." He said. She scribbled it down.

"And your name?" She asked.

"Ryder." He hesitated.

"Do you have a title?" She asked, checking her paper.

"The dragon conqueror." He said quietly. She froze.

"What does that mean?" She asked quickly.

"Whatever you want it to mean." He said coolly, looking away. Thuggory was subtly waving him over, until he saw who he was with. His face adopted a horrified look, and he turned away.

"Do you know him?" She asked, pointing to Thuggory.

"No. I guess he thought I was someone else." He lied. He turned to look at Astrid, her face full of curiosity.

"What village did you live in before?" She asked.

"Even if that were one of the questions on your paper, which it probably isn't, I still wouldn't answer." He said sharply. "Don't you have a competition to judge?" He asked.

"One last question. What's your age?" She demanded.

"Not giving an answer to that. Please, go." He pointed. She stalked towards the stands where the women must stand at.

"Hey, Ryder. Are you competing?" She asked, turning.

"No. Do you wish I was?" He asked, grinning. She glared at him and walked off.

"Well, I guess that answers that question." He muttered, resuming his place in his corner. He watched Camicazi and Heather make their way to the panel.

The men lined up with the women who were corresponding with their age. The girl with the age of five only had one competitor, so he won automatically. Heather, Camicazi, and Astrid each had a line of ten men. Thuggory tried to slip into Heather's line unnoticed, but being as tall as Thor, she spotted him immediately and blushed. He waved, embarrassed.

"Men of the Archipelago!" Bard the Protector shouted. "We are gathered here today, for a celebration! And no, it's not a marriage." He joked. The crowd chuckled.

"We are celebrating Freya, the Goddess that controls our lives through the power of love. To celebrate her fully, we are holding a competition for the Feast of Freya. Our most fair maiden's of every age will be competed for. The winner of each challenge will be honoured by the Maiden's presence for the rest of the feast. First up, is…" Bard called out the names of the first fighters. Thug was lucky enough to not be called.

"Fight!" He yelled, and the reed mats on the grounds were suddenly filled with fighters and cheers. Heather had struck up a conversation with Cami about who-knows-what, and Astrid was looking among the cheering crowd, disgusted. This clearly wasn't what she called 'fun'.

"Take that!" Snotlout yelled, pummeling his competitor into the ground. Astrid looked on, her face scrunched up. Hiccup saw her mouth the words 'this is the stupidest thing I've done all year'. He chuckled.

"Next fights!" Bard yelled. Heather and Cami looked around, wondering what they missed.

"Hahaha! Loser!" Snotlout called to the beat up boy slumping away from the panel. Astrid rolled her eyes and looked over to Heather, who started comparing braids. Astrid looked much more enthused with this conversation.

"AAHHH!" A snap echoed through the hall, and the vikings cheered. Hiccup saw his Father wince and shake his head from his on the stage from behind the maiden's. Thuggory was up next, and he looked at his competitor, who was half his size. Hiccup saw him grin to himself.

"Next fighters!" Bard called out. Thuggory moved into position. The kid he was fighting grinned evilly. Thuggory rolled his eyes. Hiccup watched Heather's eyes tear away from Astrid and to Thuggory. Astrid watched this happen and started to tease her. Heather blushed and sent Thuggory a thumbs up. He returned it.

"Go!" Bard clapped his hands, and the fights started. In the last year, Hiccup and Thuggory had trained together in hand-to-hand combat. Thug had improved decently, whereas Hiccup became amazing. Thug hd gotten used to fighting someone smaller than him, which gave him an advantage in this fight. He won easily. The other kid slumped off.

The fights went on, Snotlout and Thuggory pulling in first for Astrid and Heather. The action started during Thuggory's third fight.

"Go!" Bard yelled, and Thug's opponent leapt at him. Thuggory dodged, and pulled him into a headlock. Thug won yet again, leaving his opponent on the floor.

He turned around to stand on the sidelines, but his opponent either really wanted to hang out with Heather, or just wanted to win, because he drew a knife and leapt towards Thuggory. Hiccup stood immediately, drawing a dagger. But there was no need. Heather saw the motion and screamed, calling it out to Thuggory. He turned at the last moment, and caught the hand holding the knife. The man squirmed in his grip, dropping the knife.

"Get that cheater!" Bard yelled, pointing to the little weasel. Two viking guards grabbed him and hauled him out of the Hall. Hiccup stashed the dagger away quickly, hoping the gleam wouldn't attract anyone's attention. He caught Thuggory's eye, and nodded once. He repeated the action and continued on his path towards the sidelines.

"Well, sorry for that folks. Let's continue, we don't have all night." He said, gesturing to the fighters. They continued.

"We have our winners!" Bard finally shouted, about half an hour later.

"For Paloma, age 12, we have Faas! For Jacey, age 13, we have Cadman!..." He continued until he reached Cami.

"For Camicazi, age 16, we have Lajos!" He called out. Lajos was a well known fighter. Cami was beaming, because he was almost perfect for her. She shot a glance towards Hiccup, who almost thought it looked like longing.

"For Heather, also age 16, we have Thuggory!" He called next, He helped her down the panel stairs, and they were both blushing. If Hiccup was fangirling over his OTP, know one would know.

"For Astrid, also age 16, we have Snotlout!" He said. Hiccup's head snapped towards them. She looked so angry that he was holding her hand, but she knew it would be improper to break his arm. He was grinning so widely you would have thought he was just announced Thor's younger brother.

"For Ruffnut, also age 16, we have Fishlegs!" He called out. Hiccup's head turned towards the new couple, and raised an eyebrow. They were oddly perfect for each other. Bard finished up the winner's and then asked a question that Hiccup had been waiting for.

"If anyone who has not fought yet and would like to challenge the winner for the Maiden's hand, please step forward." He called. Hiccup took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"I would." He called out in a deeper voice than his own. Everyone turned towards him.

"Who would you challenge?" Bard asked.

"Snotlout. Mainly because of how miserable the poor maiden on his arm is." He said, causing some laughs. Snotlout stopped where he was, Astrid ripping his arm out of his.

"Are you her age?" Bard asked.

"I would not like to give away my age, but I am within five years." He said. Bard turned to the Chiefs in their chairs.

"I'd let him. I would like to see how this turns out." One chief said. They started nodding in agreement. Stoick watched Hiccup, who suddenly became very uncomfortable.

"Let him." He said finally. Bard turned around.

"Okay, um…" He said.

"Ryder." Astrid told him.

"Ryder. You will be able to fight Snotlout for the hand of Astrid." Bard announced.

"Let's go. Are you gonna take off the mask?" He asked. Hiccup shook his head.

"Cheater." He called out.

"Please. I'm not cheating. Actually, I'm at a disadvantage, because I can't see you very well." Ryder spoke quietly.

"Fine. Let's do this." He said, getting in position on the mat. Hiccup stood there, watching him.

"Ready?" Bard called. They both nodded.

"Fight!" He yelled, and Snotlout came charging at him.

Hiccup's mind went into fight mode. He crouched, and when Snotlout came close enough, jumped impossible high into the air. The crowd Oohed as he flipped and landed gracefully. Snotlout stared at him, and charged again. Hiccup ran to meet his cousin, and when he came close enough, fell into a sliding position and slid between his legs. Snotlout fell over himself and landed on his face. Hiccup stood up, and waited for Snotlout to climb to his feet. Snotlout tried a different tactic of walking slowly towards Hiccup, then slamming his fist in his direction. Hiccup caught it, turned him around, and slammed him into the ground, his arm twisted on his back. The crowd roared for blood, and Snotlout used all his strength to push Ryder back. Hiccup stumbled, and started blocking attacks coming from Snotlout. He yelled a battle cry, and sent on final punch. Hiccup jumped out of the way, and Snotlout was sent flying by his own force.

"We have a winner!" Bard cried out, seeing that Snotlout didn't want to get back up.

Astrid wandered over, still giggling at Snotlout's undescribable figure. She looked at Ryder.

"Why'd you do that? Like me too much to see me with another man?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He closed his eyes. If only she knew.

"No. I hate guys like that. I saw how uncomfortable you were, and decided that you shouldn't have to suffer like that." Ryder said in his deep voice.

"Okay, but why did you want to spend time with me?" She asked.

"I didn't." He cleared his throat and turned to Bard.

"I hereby release Astrid…"

"Hofferson." She said, clearly amused, but confused.

"Astrid Hofferson from my presence. It is clear that she would rather spend time with her friends than with a stranger." He said. Bard's eyebrows shot into his bushy hair, and he nodded.

"Astrid, you are released from the competition." He said, gesturing to the hall. She bowed.

"Why'd you-." She stopped and looked around. Ryder was nowhere to be seen. Hiccup chuckled quietly at her puzzled face and slipped out the back door.

Once he was deep in the woods, he whistled and waited. Toothless came bounding out of the trees, and pounced on Hiccup, licking his face. He was covered in branches and leaves. Hiccup laughed and raised an eyebrow.

"Crazy night, huh? Let's go home." Hiccup said, mounting the saddle. Toothless took off into the late night.


	4. Year Two Part Two

Hiccup woke up early, and he decided to go hunting. Alone.

He grabbed his bow, sword and quiver and headed out, telling Toothless to stay at camp. He growled, but let him, slunking off.

"Here, bunny bunny bunny." He called quietly into the forest. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and drew an arrow, aimed and fired. Another bunny dead. He grabbed the hare by its hind legs, stringing it up on his stick.

"That was quick." He muttered, laying the stick's ends on two branches, the rabbits hanging down like pendulums.

After a while, he started to grow hot. He shed his tunic and hopped quietly into the lake, rinsing off. He rubbed the water up and down his biceps, washing off dirt and grime. He pushed the water over his shoulders, letting it run down his back. The water dripped back into the lake, tainted with muck from his hunt. He dunked his head under, his hair sticking to his face and dripping water droplets in his eyes. He pushed it back and sat down on the bank, moving the water with his feet. The heat of the day started to evaporate the moisture on his torso. He hung his head, listening to the sounds of nature. Birds chirping, that he would eventually kill and eat. Dragons roaring, squirrels squeaking, snakes slithering, and fish swimming.

He had to start thinking about Heather's dragon. What would she take? What would work well with a Berserker?

A snorting sound brought Hiccup out of his thoughts. He turned around, expecting to see Toothless. But instead, he saw a smallish, baby blue dragon, staring at him. He smiled. Blizzard was Camicazi's dragon. A mood dragon, a very intelligent species that could change color depending on her mood. Baby blue was her 'Calm' color. Mood dragon is a terrible name, he thought. I'll have to work on that. Maybe something like 'Hobblegrunt'...

"Hey, Blizz. Come here." He said, holding out his hand. She crept closer, nuzzling his hand.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked her. She made a low sound, and nudged him. He wasn't expecting it, so he fell into the lake.

"Ahh!" He yelled out, splashing into the water, gasping for breath before he went under. The world went silent, and his eyes snapped open, looking around. Though blurry, he could distinctly make out Blizzard's hazy outline. He broke the surface, gasping for breath. He rubbed the muck out of his eyes, and stared up at the now pinkish-orange dragon. He saw the excitement in her eyes. If she could smile, she would be.

"Help me out, would ya?" He grumbled. He grabbed onto her neck, and she lifted him out of the water. He lay on the bank, looking up at the grinning dragon, her teeth gleaming of the reflective water.

"Thanks for that." He said, sitting up. She tilted her head.

"What?" He asked, looking at her. She swished her tail to him, and skewered on it were two deer, a chicken, a bunch of fish, and a bunny. He stared.

"Thanks, Blizz. That's really helpful." He said gratefully, grabbing a fish and feeding it to her. They made their way back to camp, Hiccup grabbing his tunic and bunny stick.

"Hey, Toothless! Look who I found!" He called, looking around. A groan was heard from inside the cabin.

"Come out, you lazy reptile. We have to get to work. The team will be here soon." He said. Toothless stumbled out reluctantly, glaring at him. Blizz slid the meat off her tail and into the wooden wagon, Hiccup dropping the hares into it too. He struggled to push the cart to the newly-made room kept cold by a new dragon he had only seen once. It blast his new building, and ever since then it has been frozen on the inside. He started to keep a log of new dragons after that.

"This is ridiculous." He said, letting go of the cart. Toothless took it and pushed it towards the ice cavern.

"Thanks, bud. Man, I'm getting weak." He said, resting his hands on his knees. He took a few deep breaths to steady his breathing, and straightened. He looked around, and grabbed his 'pencil' as he was calling it, and book. He sketched a rough picture of the new dragon, and thought for a second.

"What should we call that dragon, bud?" He asked. Blizz regurgitated a half-eaten fish. He stared at it.

"Half decomposed tuna it is." he decided, scribbling the word 'Groncicle' down on the paper. Blizz tittered playfully. Killer crawled out of the forest.

"Hey, Killer. How you feeling? Still sick after yesterday's swim?" Hiccup sympathised. Killer choked a little, which Hiccup took for a yes.

"C'mere. I have some liquid… something or other to give you." He said, walking into his house. Killer followed, still retching. "I got it from a small Fireworm nest." He said, grabbing the cup.

"Here. Drink this." He said, opening his mouth and pouring the liquid down his throat. He shuddered and snorted smoke through his nostrils.

"Better?' He asked, laughing. He went back to his drawing.

"It looks like a muscular Gronkle covered in snow and ice." He muttered. Toothless nudged the book and it flopped on the ground.

"Really? Can't you let me work please?" He groaned. Toothless rumbled playfully.

"What?" He looked at the three dragons staring at him.

"What, do you want?" He asked. Toothless looked up to the sky.

"You want to take a run around the island? Okay. Only because you asked so nicely." He muttered to himself.  
"Let's go, bud." He said, grabbing his helmet and jumping on Toothless' back. Toothless spread his wings and hovered above the ground.

"You guys coming?" He asked, looking at the two dragon's on the ground. They both leapt into the air and started flying behind him. They flew around the island, Hiccup mentally checking off dragon's he knew existed. "Monstrous Nightmare. Check. Timberjack. Check. Typhoomerang. Check. Gronckle. Check. Deadly Nadder. Check. Hideous Zippleback. Check." He said, counting the amounts of each dragon.

He flipped through the the book, stopping on the 'Mood Dragon' page and erasing the name, writing 'Hobblegrunt' in its place. He stared at the description.

"Appearance: The Hobblegrunt has a single nasal horn and an expendable frill surrounding its head. It has clawed wings, small arms and big legs like a Deadly Nadder. It also appears to have a long neck and tail as well. Its tail has frilled edges, similar to that of a Monstrous Nightmare. The Hobblegrunt doesn't have a particular color, but instead it changes color depending on its mood. Yellow, Happy, Purple, Curious, Red, Angry, Blue, Calm, Orange-Pink, Excited…"

He shut the book and stuffed it back into his vest. He dropped his hands on his head.

"Man, all that hunting wore me out. Even though Blizz did most of the work." He glanced at the milky eyed dragon, who turned a bright yellow. He smiled slightly.

A roar caused him to turn to the ground. A metallic dragon squirmed on the ground, and Hiccup could faintly see the scratches etched into it's skin.

"Toothless, you seeing this?" He asked, pointing. Toothless twittered in response and slowly made his way to the ground. Blizz and Killer followed. He landed, and Hiccup hopped off, Toothless flanking him.

"Whoa." He exclaimed quietly. He grabbed his book and started writing, describing the dragon in great detail.

The dragon is a four-legged dragon with a long, slender neck, as well as metal-like, reflective scales. It has a long ledge on the top of its snout and a short, stumpy one on the bottom. Its body shape appears similar to a Windstriker covered in metal armor and two talons on each foot. The dragon appears to have a short, spiky sail and has spikes all along its wings. Its teeth seem to wrap around the edge of its mouth, and it has high ridges over its eyes that resemble eyelashes.

"Wow!" He said, walking around it. He studied it for a few minutes, until Toothless roared a bit. He blinked.

"Oh, yeah. Right." He grabbed his healing and started tending to her wounds. He started with the large gashes on her underbelly. The cuts were wide and deep, signaling that the offender was big and nasty. Then he moved onto the circular burn marks on her neck and upper torso.

"Wow, these look like Typhoomerang did you do to anger a Typhoomerang?" He asked her. She looked at him with sad eyes. He finished with that and walked over to her lower torso and tail, which had large puncture wounds scattered everywhere.

"Bite marks. He must have had some kind of grudge against you to hurt you so badly." He muttered, patching up the stab wounds.

"Come on, let's bring you back to base. I have more supplies there." He said helping her stand, she struggled to her feet, panting. They made the long trip back, Toothless and Blizzard supporting her along the way. She did bump into a few trees, causing her to collapse more than once. They stumbled out of the woods, and she collapsed again. Hiccup fell to his knees, exhausted from carrying an injured reptile. He pushed himself off the ground, with much effort, and noticed he had guests. Thuggory and Cami were already there, talking to a dark haired girl.

Heather had arrived.

"Hiccup? What's that?" Thuggory asked, pointing to the female dragon.

"This is a...Razorwhip that I found in the woods. She was injured from another dragon. I healed her and thought she'd be a good match for Heather. Dangerous, cunning, and beautiful." He said. Heather blushed.

"You just made that name up, didn't you?" Camicazi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah. I did." He said sheepishly.

"Typical. What do you know about 'Razorwhips'?" She asked.

"Um, what they look like?" He said awkwardly. Thuggory sighed and walked over to the Razorwhip, holding out his hand. She put her head in his hand, and he walked around the length of her.

"She has spines on her tail, sort of like Nadder's. It's sharp, and it looks similar to a whip. Maybe she could use it like one. She seems very aerodynamic in build, and even her wings look sharp. Her scales look like metal…" He touched them. "But on closer inspection, they are just normal scales, but they're very smooth, which will reflect light. And…" He looked at her eyes and sniffed a bit. He recoiled and made a face.

"Her tears are poisonous. Great choice, Hiccup. You got Heather a dragon that's going to kill her." He glared at him, and he shrugged. Heather walked up to him.

"You think I can't handle her?" She asked questioningly. His eyes widened and he started to stutter. Cami chuckled softly.

"Why are you laughing?" Hiccup whispered.

"Guys are so clueless. " She rolled her eyes and walked over to Blizz.

"Did you ever rename her breed?" She asked, rubbing her neck, looking at Hiccup. He nodded.

"Hobblegrunt." He said proudly.

"Terrible name, but it will have to do." She said, jumping on her saddle. She took off, flying into the woods.

"Heather, that's not what I meant." Thug reasoned. She hid a smile.

"Okay, Thuggory. It's fine. I get it." She turned to Hiccup, and Thuggory looked desperately at him, throwing his hands up in the air. HIccup closed his eyes for a second, trying to contain his laughter.

"Do you have a saddle for me? I can make one if I need too." She started.

"No, it's fine. I have the supplies you need. But if you want to make it how you want it, be my guest." He pointed to his craftsman shop. She nodded and headed over, Hiccup on her heels.

"What do you want it made out off? I recommend leather. Its comfortable and aerodynamic." He said.

"Hey, I don't think she needs one. Her scaled are perfectly positioned so you don't need a saddle. I bet they're comfortable, too." Thug pointed out. They turned and looked.

"I guess he's right. That's good, I need to save up on supplies for winter." Hiccup said, shrugging.  
"Okay. Fine. What should I name her?" She asked. They stood in silence for a minute.

"Windsheer." Thuggory said. Windsheer sniffed the air and snorted, the other dragons following her as she ran into the woods. Hiccup watched them, suspecting they were playing.

"That's actually not bad." She said.

"Great. Now, Thug, how about you play teacher while I take a quick security check?" Hiccup asked.

"Um, sure, Ryder." He said, looking behind him. He snapped his helmet down, and turned around. Mogadon the Meathead stood watching them closely.

"Ryder. Nice to see you again. Heather the Berserker. What brings you here?" He asked, bowing. She bowed as well.

"Mogadon. Nice to see you. I'm checking up on Ryder. We met at the party last night, and he seems like a good guy." She explained.

"Aye. He is. Saved my island from dragon attacks. Haven't shown their scaly faces since." He laughed heartily.

"How can I help you?" Hiccup asked Mogadon.

"I came with the supplies you requested. Thuggory forgot them, muttonhead." He said, pulling out a few cloth bags. Ryder took them and opened it. He smiled.

"Thank you, Mogadon. I'm forever in your debt." He said. Mogadon laughed again.

"Nonsense, boy! You ask for whatever you want. I'm forever in your debt." He said, slapping a hand on his padded shoulder. He braced himself, but his knees still buckled slightly.

"Thank you, Mogadon. I appreciate you coming all the way out here just to deliver this. Is there anything I can get you?" He asked.

"No, thank you though, Ryder. I'll be heading back." He said.

"Bye dad." Thug called.

Once he was gone, the dragons came out, watching the cliff stairs closely. Toothless growled at the edge.

"Toothless, it's fine. Thug, get Heather on Windsheer. I'm going to do that security check." He instructed.

"Hey, Bud. Ready for another run around?" He asked. Toothless rumbled and let him jump on his back.

"We'll be back. Try not to kill her, Thug. She's new." He said, taking off. He could hear Thuggory cursing him from the ground. He laughed and flew around the perimeter of the large island. He spotted nothing new, so he flew back.

"Guys, Hiccup's back." Camicazi called from the back of Blizzard. He landed and watched Heather's progress. She was a natural.

"Well done, Heather! You're great at this!" He said as she clumsily landed. She sent him a small smile.

"You're back earlier than I expected." Thug said.

"Nothing new. The Night Terrors are at their posts, and you know they'd alert me if there was something." He said offhandedly. "I have something for the three of you, but you need to agree to something first." He started. Cami jumped off Blizz and leaned against her side.

"Name it." She said. He smiled.

"You know how we've only been helping islands get rid of dragons if we have a connections to them. Like, Thug lives on Meathead Island, and Cami has a cousin on Northlander Island. But, I think we should spread out, start helping everyone, taking down Dragon Hunters and threats to civilizations. Tribes who conquered other tribes. Bloodthirsty murderers. People like that. We'll be the 'Dragon Conquerors'." He said.

"Heck yeah! I'm in!" Camicazi yelled.

"Me too! I'm not missing out on the action!" Thug added.

"I'm in too. If it means stopping Dragon Hunters, I'm right behind you." Heather said.

"Great! I have your surprise right here." He said, digging in a bag. He brought out two pieces of cloth and tossed them to Heather. She caught them and studied them. She gasped.

"Are these-?"

"Yes. Cami, this is yours." He threw her a red mouth-nose mask and brown hood. She squealed with delight.

"Thug, you asked for it." He said, tossing him a complicated mask. It was layered leather, with viking horns sticking out the top. He immediately traded his helmet for it, and the girls pulled on their hoods and masks. Heather left her braid out, and the only part visible for the two girls were their green and blue eyes. Cami tucked her hair in and covered her mouth and nose with the tied cloth. She pulled her hood up, and her face became a shadow.

"I feel like a proud mother." Hiccup said, wiping a fake tear from his cheek. Heather laughed and Thuggory… well, Hiccup suspected he made a face.

"Shut up, man. Heather, how do I look?" He asked. She studied him.

"Intimidating." She decided. He puffed out his chest. Hiccup and Cami shared a look.

"Well, who should we 'cleanse' first?" Heather asked.

"I'm thinking… Not Berk." Hiccup said.

"Fair enough." Thug shrugged.

"So, who?" She asked.

"I don't know. If you can come up with someone in an hour, we'll head over." He said.

"Hiccup, what about our clothes… I have the Meathead crest on everything. We need to have something else, like the symbol on Toothless' tail. The Viking Head, it could symbolize justice or something." Thug suggested.

"Yeah, and call ourselves what? The Justice League?" Hiccup asked. "But it could. It doesn't really symbolize anything, so it would work." He said, grabbing paper and a pencil. He sketched some quick outfit designs. "New plan. We're making outfits today, not saving a viking village from imminent death." Hiccup said, running to get supplies.

"What just happened?" Heather asked. The other two shrugged and they all ran to help.

"Heather, can you measure the two of them? I'll measure you when you're done. I'll get the fabrics." Hiccup called as he rushed around.

"Where's my paint?" Hiccup asked, spinning around. Toothless wandered over holding a clay jar in his mouth.

"Thanks bud. What about my bristle?" he asked. Toothless spat it out of his mouth, and he made a face.

"Thanks, but ew." He said, wiping off the saliva.

"Let's get to work. Heather, take this measuring tape, would you?" He said, holding the rope out. She snatched it up and started measuring their bodies. Hiccup smiled. This would be awesome.

* * *

In the end, Hiccup was proud of his work.

Thug's outfit looked like this:

A leather mask with four different sections of black leather layered over the bottom layer. One on the right top corner, one on the left top corner, and two in the right and left bottom corners. The helmet had curved horns that went up to the air. He wore a green long sleeved tunic, and arm bands on each bicep with Conqueror's symbol on it. On each forearm held a leather strap with metal slabs put over each one to reflect attacks. Hiccup left his elbows open for movement. He had a leather belt with metal studs and leather wrapped pants and furry boots.

Camicazi's new outfit could be described like this:

Her brown hood tucked her long blonde hair in, but small pieces were still seen on her forehead. Her red mouthpiece covered her mouth and nose, and matched her red, tank top style tunic that went to her upper thigh. She had a cropped brown vest that reached her waist and her left bicep donned a gold band. She had two golden bracelets on each wrist. Her waist held a slim leather studded belt that sat crooked on her hips, and she had brown leggings and boots. Hiccup had given her a brown satchel with the Dragon Conquerors Crest on it.

Heather's was a bit different, with jagged metal shoulder pads, one side layered with more than one. Hiccup attached her hood to her long sleeved tunic. She had a brown leather tank top covering her tunic, with three leather belts, one brown buckled one and one black, and one brown. Her forearms donned jagged metal slabs, leaving her elbows open. Her skirt was a mixture of metal slabs and a odd type of chainmail. Brown leggings covered her legs, and her knees had slivers of metal covering them. She had knee high boots wrapped with rope. Hiccup had painted one of her skirt slabs with the Conqueror's crest.

"Wow, team. I have to say it. We look great! Now I just need to update mine!" Hiccup praised. Thug wouldn't stop smiling.

"One thing that's gonna have to happen is that you have to hide these. If you think you can't, leave them here. That way you won't have to deal with the 'It's not safe to be riding dragons and saving the world' speech." Hiccup said. Heather and Thuggory decided to leave them here.

"My brother snoops around a lot. Don't trust him, and he doesn't trust me." Heather explained.

"I live so close, no reason to take it home." Thug told him.

"Mine will be safe. Bo-Burglars have a code to live by. Don't touch another Bog-Burglars stuff." Cami reasoned. He nodded and sent them on their way.

"Wow, bud. Long day." Hiccup said, laying down on his bed. "What's next?" His face turned towards the lizards, who watched him closely.

"What do you think?" He asked Toothless.

He rumbled a little titter, which sounded suspiciously like 'Berk'. Hiccup narrowed his eyes.

"No. Anywhere else." He said, sitting up, his metal leg slamming into the bed frame and sending a shock wave up his leg.

"Ow. What the heck?" He muttered, rubbing his calf.

Killer snorted, steam curling from his nostrils. The Hobblegrunt smashed her tail into his blankets, sending him into the air. He let out a surprised sound at his sudden flight.

"Argh!" He yelled, suspended in midair, blankets hanging off of him. He glided down, the blankets acting as some type of wings. He landed in a roll, staring at his protective blankets. He did some quick calculations, and jumped to his feet. The dragons watched him like he was insane. Windsheer sniffed him awkwardly.  
"That could work, but it will have to be stretchy, and light. Maybe built in? Ooh! And a mechanism, like a spring lock could spring it! And then it would have to be aerodynamic, so…" He muttered, grabbing a pencil and pad. The dragons exchanged looks.

What's he on about?

No idea. Why is he coming over here?

What's he doing to my tail fin? Oh heck no you don't. This is new.

Ouch! That hurt! I'll get you for that!

Don't hurt him! Ahh, your scales are bright!

Get that thing away from me… I'll kill you.

Kill, why are you such a baby? Toughen up.

I'll snap your other leg off.

I highly doubt that's a smart… Ouch, that must have hurt. Toothless, you want to fly again don't you?

The dragons ran around as Hiccup chased them for measurements. They growled at him and snapped at his lean figure as he tackled their tails and wings. He studied Toothless's ridged back for a few seconds before the dragon chased him back into the house. He spent the next hour drawing sketches of a new idea that floated around his head.

Eventually he fell asleep from exhaustion, his head crashing onto his new design.


	5. Year Three Part One

CRASH CRASH CRASH!

"WAKE UP!" A voice screamed whilst crashing two metal slabs together. Hiccup smashed his head on the top of his desk.

"OW! What the Hel?" He yelled, pulling his head out from underneath the desk. He looked around wildly, momentarily forgetting what was happening.

He guessed that when he fell asleep, he had somehow managed to slip his head underneath his work space. A blanket pooled at his hips, and he guessed one of the dragons was kind enough to cover him last night. Nights can get chilly at Dragon's Edge. The crashing sound drew his attention towards the door, where an 17 year old Thuggory was trying out his new invention, which he called, 'cymbals'. Terrible name, really. Toothless moaned, covering his ears and eyes with his paws.

"THUG! STOP IT! I'M UP! I'M UP!" Hiccup screamed, covering his ears. Thug cackled.

"Fine, okay." He chuckled, placing them on the ground.

"Gods above, Thug! What were you thinking?" Hiccup cried out.

"I was thinking that these could be our alarm system." He said, his hands shimmying on either side of him.

"No way in Helheim are we doing that. Worst idea ever. Ever." Hiccup deadpanned.

"C'mon! It woke you up! Plus, the old alarm is breaking apart." Thug reasoned.

"We'll fix it then. And is there an actual attack or were you just messing with me? I was up all night with a new idea I had. A retractable flaming sword." He showed Thug the sketches proudly.

"Hiccup, that's awesome! Do you need any supplies from Meathead or…" He asked.

"Um, I might. But I still need to sort out exactly what I need. I'm definitely gonna need Killer's Nightmare gel…" He said, scribbling some notes down.

"Why the heck… Um, okay. Now, or-?"  
"Nah, I'll get it last minute. Um, was there an actual attack?" Hiccup asked.

"No." Thug shook his head.

"Oh, alright." He said, stretching and standing up. Hiccup had grown a bit in height. His hair was even darker, almost a dark walnut color. His features were more chiseled, and his hair was way messier than last year, it was almost out of control. It had grown out in the back, almost reaching his shoulders. His simple foot had an interesting lever that would switch it from a walking foot to a riding foot. He had more designs on the way, one for climbing and another for swimming. His outfit was updated a bit, with more of a leather armor type outfit than tunic and leggings. His leggings were now an olive color, and his tunic was red, covered with an imprinted leather tank. A large buckled, faded black leather belt rest on his hips, and a strap crossed over from his shoulder to mid-chest to hold a sword/shield on his back. His shoulders each had two layered pads, one for his bicep, and one for protection of his shoulder. Each forearm was wrapped with brown leather, and they went all the way to his hands, leaving his fingers exposed for movement. On the left shoulder pad he had painted the conquerors symbol. His freckles were more prominent now, and they made his face more attractive than before.

"Heather should be here soon. Cami too, but she has some problems with her mom." Thug told him.

"Great. So, about that idea of yours. No." He said, ignoring Thuggory's complaints.

"C'mon, Hiccup! It's a great idea! You'll never not hear it!" He reasoned.

"I don't want to hear it. It's torture to my ears, and, if you know what's good for it, you'll get rid of them before I use it as scrap metal." Hiccup threatened. Thug stomped away, dragging the cymbals on the ground, creating a tortuous scraping sound on the rock.

"Thug! Stop!" Hiccup yelled, clutching his ears. Thuggory froze.

"Yes?" He asked over his shoulder..

"Well, pick 'em up!" Hiccup said frantically, gesturing his arms desperately. Thug laughed at his wild motions, lugging them on each shoulder and walking off.

Hiccup sighed, letting gravity take over and his head smashing on the desk. He took a deep breath, straightening slowly, running a calloused hand through his hair.

He whistled, and Toothless jumped down from the rafters.

"Hey, bud. That was terrible, huh?" He said, rubbing the dragon's head.

He heard Thug yell at him from outside, "You'll change your mind one day, Conqueror! One day!" Hiccup laughed and grabbed his helmet, throwing it on and sauntering outside.

"How's the new saddle design working out?" Hiccup asked the Meathead. He shrugged.

"I want some defenses. Like, some kind of 'key' thing I have to insert to use it. So no one takes it. I want to protect it, considering the amount of supplies that will be put into making it." He said.

"I can work on that." Hiccup nodded thoughtfully, jotting this down in a notebook. "Maybe have some weapons holsters, like a dagger hidden in the saddle." He said.

"Speaking of daggers, we know one. And his hot sister is here." Thuggory said from Killer's back, lazily watching the sky as Windshear landed on the ground.

"Hey guys." Heather said, dismounting the Razorwhip.

"Where'd you get Windshear from?" Hiccup asked, straightening worryingly.

"Oh, that's not important." She said, dismissing his fear.

"Um, I'm sorry to say that it is. The fact that Windshear is even near Berserker Island-." Hiccup started.

"Hiccup, I wasn't even near Berserker Island. I keep her on a deserted landform about four islands away. Daugur has no idea, and she's safe." Heather said. Hiccup's mouth twisted.

"Heather, can you remind me what your brother recently purchased?" He asked, a sour taste in his mouth

"New weapons for his Armada, and a set of new silent ships. Why?" She asked, confused.

"Silent ships! He could be following you, and watching as you leave with Windshear! It's way too dangerous. You need to start leaving her here." Hiccup demanded.

"No way! She's just getting used to that island." She argued.

"Heather, it's either here or another dragon safe-haven. Are you so set on that island that you are willing to risk Windshear's life?" He asked. She froze, and looked at her dragon, who was chasing after Killer.

"Alright. She can stay here." She sighed, defeated.

"Okay. Now, Cami, can you go take a flight around and check the posts, since you are already on Blizzard?" He asked the silent blonde, who had snuck onto the island quietly not to be noticed by anyone else. Thug and Heather whipped around to find her nodding and taking off.

"When did you get here?" Thug yelled up to her.

"When you were staring lovingly into Heather's eyes!" She called back. "Got it, Hiccup. Be back soon!" Thug and Heather both blushed. Hiccup laughed and grabbed his map.

"Okay, while we're waiting for her…" He started. They both groaned, their red faces back to normal.

"Hiccup, you do this every time." Heather reminded him.

"A-and it's for a good cause." He defended. "We need to remember, just in case I'm not here to remind you." He told them.

"We have them memorized. Hiccup…" Heather complained.

"Blue?" He asked them.

"Meathead." They sighed.

"Orange?"

"Outcast."

"Green?"  
"Northlander..."

"Red!" Cami's frantic voice screamed from behind them. All the three grounded vikings paled.

"B...Berk…" Thug said, astonished. Hiccup's jaw set. Heather noticed.

"Hiccup, you promised." She warned.  
"Yeah, and now I'm regretting it." He growled, strapping on his gear and helmet furiously. He whistled angrily. Toothless bound over as the rest of the team suited up. He made a whining-growling sound. Hiccup rolled his eyes and mounted the saddle. He glanced at his team, who was waiting for him, and he took off.

* * *

As they exited the clouds, Berk appeared. It wasn't the Berk he remembered. Normally, around this time, there would be a dragon raid. But no. An attack from a fleet of ships was present. Catapults, fire and arrows, men swarming the village. Hiccup groaned.

"Is that Daugur?" He asked. Heather gripped her saddle in anger.

"Oh, how I hate him! I'm gonna kill him." She raged, urging Windshear into battle. The other two followed her, blasting the ships with fire. Hiccup swooped down into the middle of the raid, Toothless's claw carrying a large net. He found a large gathering of Berserkers, and scooped them with the net. He flew over the ocean, letting Toothless twirl and have some fun, before dumping them out to sea, far away from their ships. He flew back, but then noticed one of the warriors had set his net ablaze. He moaned in annoyance.

"Drop it bud. It's no… Wait, don't!" He yelled out, thrusting his hand towards the net. Toothless stopped just in time.

"Let's drop it on the ships." He suggested with an evil grin. Toothless rumbled in excitement, flying towards the ships. He dropped the net in the middle of the chaos. The soldiers yelled and jumped into the sea, giving up immediately.

Toothless flew over to the land, dropping Hiccup off and allowing him to fight with the rest of his team. They worked in sync, saving families and buildings from the wrath of the Berserkers. Ryder flipped over a man, bringing his fist down upon another. A leg sweep brought the remaining men down. People stared at the masked team as they regrouped. Hiccup pointed up the hill.

"That way. There's the rest of the fight." Ryder ordered. The team hopped on their dragon's and flew towards the fight. Ryder turned to Toothless, ignoring the villager's gasps at the dragon in front of them. One grabbed an axe and stood in front of his family. Ryder waved him off.

"He won't hurt you. Back down" He ordered the man. He dropped the axe reluctantly. Hiccup swaggered over to Toothless, mounting his dragon and leaping into the air. "Hey, let's give them all a good scare." He spoke into his reptiles ear. Toothless gave a sound similar to a laugh and adjusted his wings, flying into the clouds.

"Oh, not again." Thug complained, watching Toothless fly into the clouds while punching a soldier in the face without looking.

"Is he really doing this now?" Cami rolled her eyes, smashing another soldier in his stomach with the butt of her sword.

"Sadly, the answer is yes to both of your questions." Heather answered, leaping onto the head of another warrior as she jumped back on Windshear's back. "You guys have this?" She asked, taking flight.

"Yes ma'am." Cami yelled a battle cry through her mask as she charged three men at once. Thug sent Heather a double thumbs-up as she winked at him. His eyes widened from what she could see behind his mask. She flew towards the ships.

Hiccup looked behind him as Toothless gained altitude. He patted the scaly beast's side.

"I think we're good." He called to him. Toothless rumbled and stopped flapping, falling into a dive. They gained speed, faster and faster until…

A sound similar to the call of Thor was heard throughout the island as Hiccup and Toothless passed Mach One. The silence was deafening, Hiccup decided. No blood pumping. No wind. Nothing. But it was beautiful as the land approached them as breakneck speeds. Trees became green blurs, and the ocean became one with the sky. As they gained speed, clouds gathered in front of Toothless's wings, being pushed by the force.

He watched someone mouth "Night Fury!" before the entire island ducked under their shields as Toothless came down like lightning. He shot a silent blast that blew the Berserkers into a comatose state. Toothless swooped upwards, towards the sky again. Hiccup regained his sense of hearing, now listening to the cheers from his old home and the screams from the Berserker army. Hiccup watched as the general ran frantically, waving his arms and shouting the words Ryder always likes to hear.

"Retreat!" He yelled, running from stern to mast. Toothless flapped in the air as the team flew up towards him.

"I think we did good, team." Cami said, crossing her arms and sitting back in her seat. Hiccup nodded in agreement.

"I think you are right." He said, patting Toothless's side. Then he heard a scream from the island. His aunt, Stoick's sister-in-law, was crying, pointing to the retreating ships.

"My daughter!" Someone yelled out.

"Wait! Where's my boy?"

"My twins, oh, my children!"

"Well?" Stoick the Vast yelled out, looking at the Dragon Rider's. "Go save our people." He ordered.

"Sorry, sir." Ryder yelled back. "My team doesn't take orders from the people we save. But you're lucky we're on your side." He called, flying after the ships.

"Everyone call someone." Hiccup yelled out.

"Fishlegs!" Heather yelled to him.

"Twins!" Cami said quickly.

"Sadly, I'm taking Snotface. You know who you're left with, huh Ryder?" Thug called, smirking under his helmet.

"I hate all three of you." He grumbled.

"Uh, maybe I should take-." Cami tried to butt in, glancing nervously at Hiccup. Thug waved her off.

"He'll take her. I'm sure he'll have fun." He laughed. Cami muttered something quietly and

swooped down, dodging catapults and arrows, the team following her. Cheers erupted from Berk as they grabbed the captives.

"Yay! We're saved!" Ruffnut shouted, her hair getting in her mouth.

"Lucky you." Hiccup mumbled.

"Hey, I know you!" Snotlout shouted.

"Oh, do you?" Ryder asked sarcastically.

"Yeah! You're the guy that destroyed Snotlout at Freya's Feast! That was so cool!" Fishlegs yelled out over the wind.

"Thanks. You were that guy who won that girl's hand, right?" He pointed to Ruffnut, and they both blushed.

"Hey, can we, I don't know, not dangle from your deadly fire-breathing monster's legs? Can we, maybe, I'm not sure, ride on the back with you guys?" Astrid asked rudely.

"Not with that attitude." Ryder answered.

"Pleeeeeeaaaaaassssseeeeee?" Ruffnut droned out.

"What she said." Astrid muttered.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Ryder muttered back. Toothless flipped his back legs forward, allowing Ryder to just catch her in time. He plopped her behind him, and she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly and muttered words he would never say. He tried to ignore the fact that she was touching him, or the fact that his heart was beating faster than Toothless was flying. The other dragon riders copied his movements. Soon, each dragon was carrying more weight than they were used to.

Snotlout, being an absolute moron, decided it would be smart to attack the Nightmare that he was currently riding.

"Hey babe, look!" He called out to Astrid. "Free kill!" He grabbed Thug's sword, and tried to drive it into Killer's hide.

"Snotlout! Are you crazy?" Astrid cried as Thug knocked it out of his hands, just after the stab broke the surface. Killer roared, bucking both rider's off his back and falling towards the ground. Snotlout screamed over Thug's shouts.

"What kind of idiot- Ugh, nevermind. Ayche! Toss, grab!" Hiccup yelled out to Heather, using her alyis.

"Toss, grab? Wha-AHH!" Astrid's screams mixed with Fishlegs's as Toothless bucked her into the air and dove after Killer. He grabbed his tail, straightening him out just in time for Windshear to drop Thuggory and Snotlout back on his back. Toothless and Windshear both darted out to grab their respective prisoners. Hiccup caught Astrid again and smirked at her frazzled face.

"I think you just fell for me." He said without thinking. She glared at him as Toothless slapped his face with an earflap. He smacked the dragon in retaliation. He turned away from their angry attitudes and turned to glare at Snotlout.

"You, moron!" He called to Snotlout. Snotlout turned, and Hiccup saw Cami snicker. "Please, elaborate on how stupid are you that you would stab the dragon you are riding on?!" Ryder yelled at him. Snotlout shrugged.

"Unlike you pansies, we still kill dragons! They don't deserve to live in my glory! I'm too good for them!" He yelled out.

"Okay, I get that your ex was a dragon, and you're pretty upset about it, but that doesn't mean you have to kill ours." Ryder said sarcastically. The group laughed. "Try that again, and I'll make Tee drop you back in the ocean!" He warned. Snotlout rolled his eyes but obliged.

They dropped the captives back on land, made sure they reunited with their families, and turned to go.

"Wait!" Stoick's voice roared out.

"What?" Ryder snapped. He turned Toothless around, and the village got a full look at him. They gasped.

"Night Fury." The crowd murmured, pointing and gaping at the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.

"Impossible." Astrid muttered. She recognized that dragon, she just didn't remember where from. Probably a raid from long ago.

"Where do you think you're going? We need to talk. I want to know who you are, where you're from, why you're riding dragons, and why you helped us." Stoick demanded.

"Why would I share that information, sir? To be honest, I don't need to tell you anything. You are not my chief, or part of my tribe. Astrid Hofferson knows the most about me. If you need to know anything, ask her." Ryder answered.

"What about a reward?" He called out. The rest of the team froze.

"What reward? We don't collect rewards." He called down to land.

"Why not?" Stoick asked. The entire island was silent.

"Ryder, what would they offer?" Cami asked.

"Cee, be quiet." He snapped at Cami. "We never take rewards." He told Stoick.

"For what reason?"

"It is unhonorable. We help because it is right. We do not accept rewards."

"That is very noble. Well, you are free to our supplies if you ever need them. Thank you for saving my people." Stoick said, dipping his head. Before they left, he called out again.

"One more thing. A boy, with a dragon. He would be about 17 now. Have you seen him?" He asked. Hiccup froze. He guided Toothless to land on the roof of a house, and he crawled around the wood. The team copied his movements. Toothless hissed threateningly at the people, who huddled together uneasily.

"17 you say? I may have heard of another Dragon rider around that age." He mentioned. "May have even passed by once or twice. Why do you care? Gonna kill him?" Ryder taunted.

"No. He's my son. He left, three years ago. I'm…" He hung his head.

"Eh, who needs him? I'm next in line to be chief. I can actually run an island, unlike him." Snotlout bragged.

"Wow, you're even more an idiot than last time we met. I am terribly sorry for this entire island for when he comes of age to be chief." Ryder said. Some villagers chuckled. Snotlout glared at Ryder, mentally planning revenge.

"You have saved my people. Why?" Stoick asked.

"We fight the evil in this world. Especially if they are dragon hunters." Cami explained.

"But we hunt dragons still!" Snotlout yelled to them. Fishlegs smacked his head.

"Don't tell them that! They're riding dragons, do you want them to kill us too?" Fishlegs yelled at Snotlout. Snotlout punched his face.

"But do you go on expeditions to hunt and sell dragon parts, after following them around this Archipelago? I doubt it. Plus, that army was savage, ready to conquer any land in its way. We have been chasing them for a while now." Thug said. Killer shuddered, red fluid dripping off his belly and onto the roof.

"Ryder, he's getting worse. We've gotta go." Thug noted.

Ryder nodded "Move out, guys." The dragons took flight, moving towards the ocean. Ryder glanced at the village he used to call home before urging Toothless away. Toothless flew out to sea, and the team followed him.

* * *

"Why did you welcome them onto our land?" Snotlout asked his uncle.

"They know where Hiccup is. I must find my son." Stoical said, picking up a fallen tree. Snotlout started to help.

"But you disowned him. Plus, they were probably lying. He's dead by now." Snotlout reasoned.

"No, he's alive. I'm sure of it. My son was never strong in muscle, but he's stubborn. Smart, too. He could survive."

"But what about his dragon? He would've been eaten."

"I just saw a masked man riding a Night Fury, the creature of our demise. There is no way I am just giving up." He growled, putting the tree upright. It shook the ground as his chest heaved. "My son is alive. And I'm going to find him." He stalked off grabbing Astrid's arm and dragging her to the Great Hall.

"Now. You are going to tell me everything you know about that man. Don't leave out a single detail." He ordered, plopping her in a chair. She looked up at him.

"It's not much. He refused to answer most of the questions I asked him. He said he's Ryder the Dragon Conqueror. He lives alone on an island, but I'm not sure where. His old village was destroyed, burned to the ground by dragons. He is a master of everything, considering he lives alone. He rude, charming, obnoxious, attractive, infuriating and has a peg leg, though I don't know the origins of that." She finished. Stoick didn't answer.

"I have heard word of a man who rides a Night Fury. He finds fleets of Dragon-Hunting ships and burns them. He saves villages from attacks, and I've even heard he controls dragons, causing them to leave the inhabited islands. I thought it was just a myth, until now." He said to himself. Astrid watched him curiously. She has never seen him so deep in thought until after Hiccup had left.

"Astrid, how would you know he's attractive and charming?" He asked her. She blushed.

"Did I say that?" She coughed. He gave her a look.

"Did you see his face?"

"No, and I didn't mean to say that." She looked at her feet.

"You seem embarrassed, Astrid. I see you have a certain liking for this man. Please, tell me about him. Not facts, but how you see his as a person and your feelings for him." He said. She blushed again.

"Um, well. He was very rude when I first met him, but he wasn't the only one. There were loads of drunks and secretive vikings. But after Snotlout won my hand, he, Ryder, fought for it. And he won. He was an incredible fighter, you saw. And then he released me. I found that odd, I mean, how often does a viking man let go of a woman he has earned the hand of? I believe the answer is never." She told him, careful not to use the word 'prize' when describing her hand. She hated that.

"Interesting. What about family, friends?"  
"Well, he was with those other people. Maybe relatives? Friends?" She asked.

"The muscular man was protective of both women. Maybe siblings? Or one is his partner, and another a sibling. I would guess the smaller girl was a sibling, and the leaner one a partner. Then what is their relation to The Dragon Conqueror?" He asked, rubbing his massive beard.

"They all had interesting dragons. I've never seen a silver monstrous nightmare. They've always been colored. And a mood dragon? Those are rare. And the metallic dragon. I've never seen one before in my life." She said.

"And then there's the Night Fury." Stoick said slowly, starting to pace.

"How in the name of Thor did he manage to tame and train the 'Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death Itself'?" Astrid asked, using it's 'official' name.

"I don't know. He must be powerful. Possibly scared it into submission? I saw a man do that once. He killed many people." He frowned, remembering the fateful night.

"And… Do you think this man could be a threat?"

"I'm not sure, lass. Possibly. And if so, we need to become aware of his actions before he strikes. Astrid, I have a proposition for you." He started.

"Yes?"

"I want you to train the new batch of fighters. Train them well, so they can be ready for an attack. From Dragons, Dragon Hunters, and Dragon Riders. Do you accept?"

"Yes." She said without hesitation, looking the chief in the eye. Stoick smiled for the first time in a while.

"Good lass. Good. Now, I must be alone. Have a good night, lass."  
"Goodnight, chief." She called to him as he left the hall. She immediately started coming up with plans for the classes. She smiled. About time.

* * *

Hiccup was in the process of slicing up a target when Thuggory and Camicazi appeared.

"Hiccup…?" Cami asked cautiously.

"What?" He snarled. Thuggory sighed.

"I told you. He's upset about Berk." He crossed his arms as Hiccup turned and glared at him.

"Upset? Why would I be upset? No, I only had to save the lives of the people who despised me. And as soon as I leave, suddenly they care. Wow, who would've thought? They don't seem to have found a new target, but if they do I'm taking them out of there as fast as possibly and raising them as one of our own. I don't want another mistake." He sliced the target in half and breathed heavily, his chest heaving.

"Hiccup… You don't have to be associated with them anymore. You're Ryder the Dragon Conqueror. You are your own person." Cami placed a cautious hand on his shoulder.

"I know. And I'm happy about that. If I was still on Berk, it'd only be a little while until they found out about Toothless. And then they would've killed him. Unless I was able to… I don't know, change Astrid's mind about dragons and have her keep my secret. Maybe that would've worked." He muttered, picking at the edge of his new sword. Cami frowned.

"Can we not talk about her? She's a b-."

"Bad person? Nah, she's just loyal to her village, which I respect." Thuggory butted in, glaring at Camicazi. They had a stare down as Hiccup fiddled with his sword.

"Maybe if it was just a frame…" He muttered, taking out his pencil and notepad, oblivious to the silent argument happening next to him.

How can you say that in front of him? You of all people should know he still has feelings for her!

Feelings he should leave behind! There are girls that could treat him like he deserves, if he'd just open his eyes!

Please, Cami. The heart doesn't let you choose who you fall for. Astrid never treated him right, but he still fell for her. I think that means nothing has or will change. I'm almost positive he was blushing when she was hanging off his back.

She doesn't deserve him!

And you do?

I've been with him since day one!

Have you? I'm pretty sure I can recall a time when you made fun of him just as those bullies on Berk did. At least Astrid didn't do anything like that.

She never stopped it, though, did she Thuggory?

She never did it in the first place. Face it, Cami. You can't make him fall for you. The heart's gonna do as it pleases. You can't force him into a relationship. What happened to Lajos, anyways?  
He was a one time thing, alright? My focus is somewhere more worth my time! If he'd just notice me for once…

He does, just not in the way you want him to. Sometimes, you have to take what you can get.

Cami sighed, scrubbing a hand across her face as she peered over Hiccup's shoulder. The sketch was much more detailed than the previous sketch that he had drawn at midnight the night before.

"Wow, Hiccup. That's coming out better every time."

"Thanks. I hope it works. Anything can work on paper. It's in theory that it matters." He tapped the pencil to his chin, and picked up his sword. He tested the weight, and wrote down some numbers next to the sketch.

"Hmm…" Hiccup frowned, checking the sword and comparing it to the sketch.

"What is it?" Thuggory asked the frowning young man. Hiccup looked up, as if he just realized he wasn't alone.

"I… I'm leaving." He said, confirming his mental decision. His friends eyes widened.

"What?"

"I'm gonna leave for a while. Pick up some supplies we don't have in the Archipelago. Maybe visit some other civilizations. Who knows, maybe we'll find another Night Fury…" He scratched Toothless's head in thought.

"Wait, you can't just leave! Y-What about the Edge?" Cami shrieked.

"You three can maintain it just fine. It would be a good test for anyways."

"But, we need you here! You're our leader, even if Cami won't admit it."

"Shut up Thuggory. But he's right, Hiccup. We need you here."

"No you don't." Hiccup told them.

"How about I go! Or Thug! Heather could pick up what you need!" Cami reasoned.

"Please. All three of you are important heirs to your islands. I'm a nobody, and nobody will notice if I'm gone. You all will be fine. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to pack." He sauntered off to his hut, leaving his two dazed friends behind him. Heather and Windshear landed behind them.

"Hey guys. Beautiful morning, isn't it? I was thinking that we should work on so… What's up with you two?"

The friends shared a look.

"Do you wanna tell her or should I?"

She dismounted Windshear. "Tell me what?"

* * *

"I don't like this." Thug said as Hiccup packed the baskets onto Toothless's saddle.

"Shame. I wish I could do something about that." Hiccup shrugged and Thug glowered.

"Really, Hiccup. This will go badly. I have a feeling." Thug adjusted his helmet, sighing as Hiccup leapt onto Toothless's back.

"It'll be fine. Maybe I'll make some new friends. See you guys when I get back." He waved to the girls, who waved back. Thug grunted and backed up as Toothless shot into the air.


End file.
